Quick Question on Image Sizes!

I have a 500GB drive that I use for my OS (Windows XP Pro) and all of my programs, all on a single partition. I have another 500GB drive where I keep all my data files, pictures, music etc, which I would also like to use to keep images of my full backup. However, I don't want to take any chances with my data on this second drive.

What kind of full image size can I expect of a 500GB drive, and do you think it is OK to store the 500GB drive image backups on a 500GB drive that is also used for all my data This second drive currrently has about 100GB of data, so it currently has about 400GB space for the Acronis image backups.

I have a 500GB drive that I use for my OS (Windows XP Pro) and all of my programs, all on a single partition. I have another 500GB drive where I keep all my data files, pictures, music etc, which I would also like to use to keep images of my full backup. However, I don't want to take any chances with my data on this second drive.

What kind of full image size can I expect of a 500GB drive, and do you think it is OK to store the 500GB drive image backups on a 500GB drive that is also used for all my data This second drive currrently has about 100GB of data, so it currently has about 400GB space for the Acronis image backups.

Thanks for any help!

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You don't say how much space is used on the first drive. I have a similiar setup up, but I keep all my data on the first drive, and image it all to the 2nd. That way the data is also protected.

The size of ATI backup images is a function of the amount of used sectors on the source drive. That, plus the compression that ATI applies. You can adjust the compression from within the settings but the changes can have a bigg effect on backup time.

However, your backup generally won't be any bigger than the amount of bytes used on the source drive and usually a bit less.

20% might be a fair guess with normal compression, However, there isn't an easy way to know how effective the compression will be--it depends so much on the files that you are trying to compress. Some files, like jpg are already very cmpressed and can't be compressed (much) further.

Basically, with low compression, you will get little or no improvement in speed. With high compression, you will get a slight reduction in size compared to normal compression but a terrific increase in time.

When you set up a backup and come to the window where you can set the options, under compression, when you highlight your choice, ATI gives you an estiamte of size and time. For one example, a disk of mine that 16.9GB has these estimates-- they are only estimates, the actdual size and time will depend on the kinds of files being backed up:
Size Time
No compression 16.9GB 40 min
Normal compression 10.1 20 min
High compression 8.8 30 min
Maximum compression 8.6 70 min

Please note that as shieber said, the estimated time and image archive size are quite approximate, as different types of data allow different levels of compression and require different amounts of time to be compressed. You can check this thread for details.

The compression level is set to the Normal position by default, but in case you need to create an image as fast as possible, you can select minimal compression (Tools -> Options -> Default Backup Options -> Compression level). Please refer to the Acronis True Image 10.0 Home User's Guide to find the detailed instructions.